


Saving Pack

by Tarvera



Series: Pack is What You Make It [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Allison Argent, Canon-Typical Violence, Good Friend Allison Argent, Multi, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Warning: Gerard Argent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:20:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27274819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarvera/pseuds/Tarvera
Summary: Her whole life had been a lie. Her family hunted werewolves for a living and called them monsters. Allison was beginning to believe it was more likely her family was the real monsters. Her mother was on trial for kidnapping and murder. Her aunt was dead and her grandfather was on the run from the police. The guilt of her failure to see any of this was eating her alive. She was about to get a chance to redeem herself, it just happened to come in the worst possible way.
Relationships: Allison Argent/Cora Hale, Allison Argent/Cora Hale/Scott McCall, Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Peter Hale/Sheriff Stilinski
Series: Pack is What You Make It [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874530
Comments: 22
Kudos: 117





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I promise this has a happy ending. 
> 
> I am mostly finished with this and it's fairly short all things considered but I have some editing to do as I pretty much wrote this all today in a fevered rush of ideas. I just decided to go and post this first part because I wanted to. :) 
> 
> Also - I will warn for the chapter that has the threat of rape, it's very subtle and not explicitly stated but I don't want to accidentally trigger someone.

Her entire life had been a lie. That thought more than any other had become the circling spiral her mind would constantly get sucked into. She wanted to scream and cry. She wanted to throw herself at her father and demand that he give her answers. She wanted to shake her mother senseless and ask how they ever could have kept something like this from her. 

Allison didn’t do any of these things. Everything got pushed deep down inside her so it wouldn’t show. They couldn’t afford to be ruled by emotions right now, her father had lectured her the day after the news had broken. They needed to stay strong and united for the public. When she had bitterly asked how united they could be when her mother was in jail and her grandfather was being hunted by the entire country, it had been the first time she had seen her father lose his temper. The resulting fight had left her feeling so alone she had given in to his demands. 

Now, over six months later, sitting in the courtroom and waiting for the judge to appear, she kept herself perfectly still. No smile was on her face but none was really needed. Stoicism was the word of the year, she thought bitterly. Staring at the back of her mother’s head made her want to scream with rage but she kept perfectly silent as was expected. 

The judging eyes of the Hales and Stilinskis that were present for the trial felt like lasers that were boring into her very soul. She had to blink unexpected tears back at the sight of them after so many months. She had begged her dad to let her talk to Stiles and apologize or even let her call the teen but he had adamantly refused. He had even gone so far as to only allow her access to her phone when he was present and could monitor its usage. 

Her internet access was restricted as well and she had to put up with her dad checking her browser history constantly. His excuse was that he didn’t want her to upset herself by researching the trial or seeing the horrible things people were saying about her family. But she knew it was really because he was afraid she’d get into contact with Scott or Cora again. Thinking of the two of them caused her heart to ache. Scott had been her first kiss. Cora was the first girl who made her realize that a woman could turn her on as well as a man. 

Squeezing her hands tight together she forced down all these thoughts and feelings again. Her dad loved her. There was no doubt in her mind of this. But...her dad had been conditioned his whole life to believe that werewolves were evil monsters. He admitted that Kate had gone too far with the Hales. He said that they shouldn’t hunt them unless they hurt humans. All this was just words though. Just words that were useless without action. 

When the judge entered the courtroom she had to scramble to stand. Her dad’s hand was heavy on her shoulder as they sat back down. The opening statements were excruciating. To hear again the long list of her mother’s crimes and the description of what had been done to Stiles made her feel sick. Stiles would never walk correctly again and that was her fault. She had left him with Kate when he had practically begged her not to. Why was she so stupid? How could she have been so blind? Stiles had told her what Kate was and she still left him there. 

Her dad’s grip on her hands made her realize she was crying. Hastily, she tried to wipe her eyes and hide the evidence of her tears. Her mother’s lawyer had insisted on her presence there because he claimed that it would lend sympathy to Victoria’s cause. The man had said it would show everyone that anyone with a daughter like Allison could not have possibly done what the prosecution was claiming. It was ridiculous. Her mother was guilty, there was no doubt of that. She had no idea why either of her parents thought they could get the charges dropped or get the jury on their side. 

Somehow she got through the morning. They were hustled outside and into a car surrounded by a ring of men. The next three days were more of the same thing. The only difference was that the numbness inside of her grew to a point where no more tears fell in court. It was only at home, curled up on her bed in the dark that she let herself scream into her pillow. Her whole life was a lie. Her parents, aunt, grandfather and everyone who worked with them were murderers. 

On the fourth day Cora was in the courtroom. Her breath caught in her throat and she stared far too long. Long enough for her dad to notice and his sharp, “Allison”, promised a long lecture later. She wondered distantly if he had known she had kissed Cora too if he’d be more upset that Cora was a werewolf than for Cora being a girl. The aching need to talk to Cora only increased as the day went on. There was no chance to do it though. Everything around her was too tightly controlled and she had no desire to potentially put Cora at risk. 

When she came downstairs on the fifth day her grandfather was sitting at the table. It was as if the air had been sucked out of the room. She stood there staring at him and then at her dad. Her dad was sitting at the table, hands clenched into fists and staring straight ahead. For one wild moment she considered trying to run outside and scream for the police but movement by the door reminded her that they were never alone anymore. 

“Ah, Allison, come in, sit.” 

Heart in her throat she obeyed. Once she had sat her grandfather beamed at her and gestured to someone behind her. The man went upstairs without looking at them. 

“Gerard, wha --” Her dad started to speak but Gerard cut him off. 

“Not now Christopher. You’ve had your chance to explain how you let this disaster upon us. You’re lucky I’m allowing you any leeway at all right now. Allison. Your mother says you had made friends with some of the creatures.” 

Her mouth was dry and she struggled to make herself speak. She nodded once then jumped when his hand slammed down on the table. “Were you raised by civilized folk or savages? Speak when you’re asked a question, girl.” 

Shaking now, she spoke up as best she could. “Yes. I’m...I mean I was friends with them. I didn’t know though I promise.”   
He smiled at her now, all kindness as if the outburst ten seconds ago was but a hallucination. “Of course, of course. You can’t be blamed for any of this, don’t worry my dear. It’s your father that kept you vulnerable by insisting that you not be told of our world. I’m sure that a girl as smart as you would have picked up on those creature’s otherness instantly if you had been properly trained.” 

“Yes sir.” She said, whispering the words and hoping it was the correct response. She had never seen her father sit there with that level of fear in his eyes and it terrified her. 

“Now, I’m sure you are ready to make up for your father’s mistakes and weakness?” 

“Yes sir.” 

He leaned back in his chair and gave her another warm smile. She hated how soft that smile made him look. He looked just like a grandfather should with that smile. But the images and pictures of the dozens of families he had burned alive played out in her mind. Bile rose in her throat and she had to choke back a whimper as he stood up and moved down the table towards her. He ran a gentle hand over her head and rested it on her shoulder. 

A scraping noise made her look up. Her dad had started to move backwards. The hand on her shoulder squeezed tighter and the breath left her lungs for a moment. The look on her dad’s face, a mix between loathing and fear, made her gut clench. 

“Ah, ah, ah...Christopher, we talked about this. If you hadn’t let that situation in Beacon Hills get out of hand none of this would be necessary. It’s Allison’s turn to do her part to help out the family.” 

“She’s seventeen. Gerard, please, she had nothing to do with this.” 

The hand on her shoulder was tight enough she was sure there would be a bruise on it later. “Enough.” The words were quiet and terrifying. “You cost me my daughter’s life. Your refusal to do what needed to be done has allowed her murderer to walk away from this with no repercussions. Do you know what he is doing now?” The old man’s voice was rising and she could feel him start to shake next to her. She closed her eyes tight and told herself to just keep breathing. 

“He’s gotten married.” The words were barely more than a snarl. “He’s gotten married to that traitor of a sheriff. That boy that destroyed everything for us is walking around alive and that monster who killed my daughter gets his perfect ending. You had your chance to kill him and you failed me.” 

“They had proof. It wasn’t just about hunters and werewolves, the police and FBI were involved. Victoria and Kate tortured a human for fucks sake, how the hell was I supposed to stop that?” 

Her dad surged upwards at the end of his words, knocking the chair over behind him. Gerard grabbed her hair and threw her sideways. The attack was so expected that she couldn’t catch herself and the breath left her body as she hit the table then slumped to the floor. Footsteps thudded into the room and she was wrenched backwards and slammed into the wall. Gasping she looked around wildly and saw two of the men had her dad face down on the table, holding him there with a knife to his throat. 

“Dad!” She tried to get to her feet but Gerard was there and slammed her back against the wall. She screamed only for him to slap her in the face. 

“Enough.” Feeling like everything was falling to pieces for the second time in her life she went utterly still. He smiled at her and let go. “Are you going to behave?” 

“Yes sir.” She said, gasping out the words. 

“Good girl. Your father’s life is in your hands, understand?” 

“No! He’s your --” He slapped her again and her head hit the back of the wall with a thump. 

“Understand?” 

Blinking back tears she nodded. “Yes sir.” 

“You are going to use a phone and ask to meet one of the ones you knew. I don’t care which one, just pick one. I’ll tell you where. Got it?” 

She looked at her dad then back at her grandfather. “What will you do to them?” 

His face was blank and cold. He moved towards her and gripped her chin tight. “I asked you a question, Allison, you don’t get to ask questions in return. Your education has been severely lacking but that’s all going to change now.” The fingers tightened around her neck. “Now. Answer me.” 

A thousand images and thoughts whirled through her mind. She was struggling to think straight and it was becoming hard to breathe. Her father was right there on the table with a knife to his throat. Stiles’ face as she walked away was burned into her mind. The look of devastation on Cora’s face when she talked about Malia dying. The images of hundreds of burned bodies. 

Resolve hardened within her. All the months of pushing everything down. Of being good and stoic. Of listening to orders and being united for the family. All the rage and pain she had been keeping hidden away and locked deep within herself came raging to the forefront. She spat in Gerard’s face. 

“No. I won’t do it. I won’t help you kill anyone. You’re the monster. You’re all the monsters.” 

The hand on her throat tightened and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Brief threat of rape in this chapter. Not explicitly stated but there.

She woke up to a bucket of ice water being thrown over her. Gasping, she tried to orient herself only to panic when she discovered she couldn’t move her arms or legs. It took her a moment to realize that she was tied to a chair. Shaking from the cold air that was drafting through the room she was in, she looked up into the smirking face of Gerard. 

“Listen up, I’m only going to go over this once. I made a mistake letting Christopher handle your upbringing and training. I only hope it’s not too late to fix it. You have an hour to escape this chair and get out of the room. If you don’t escape, then, well...” 

He backed up to reveal a snarling werewolf in a cage across the room. She barely swallowed the scream that welled in her throat. The werewolf was in beta shift and its eyes were a crazed yellow, not the beautiful gold of Scott’s or Cora’s. It was flinging itself against the cage bars, roaring with rage. Her grandfather chuckled. 

“Yes, he’s rather angry. You have an hour before a charge goes off that breaks the lock on the door. He’ll rip you to pieces then. The edge of the barn is lined with mountain ash so all you have to do is get over the edge. I’ll be waiting outside.” 

Fear swamped her after he left. She had no idea how much time she wasted by the panic attack that overtook her. “Come on, Allison, you are better than this.” She said to herself, forcing the fear to leave her. Looking up at the werewolf again she started to push and pull against the ropes on her arms. The chair she was tied to was wooden and it was creaking as she moved. Her hands were tied by her wrists to the outside edges of the chair back. It took some wriggling but eventually she was able to get her wrists to the sides of the chair instead of the back. 

Now came the risky part. Taking a deep breath, she tucked her head in and began to rock the chair back and forth. Once she had a little momentum going she flung her head back and exhaled as the chair crashed backwards. She managed to tucked her head back in just before she hit the ground. Pain lanced its way up her back and she couldn’t stop the scream. The chair broke into pieces and she scrambled to pull her hands out. It took longer for her to get her legs undone. Every second it took she was convinced the charge would go off and the werewolf would be on her. 

When she got her legs free she stood up and rushed for the door. The werewolf howled behind her and she heard the bang of an explosion. Not daring to look back she pushed past the pain shooting through her side and flung herself through the doorway. Bright hot new pain tore through her legs and she screamed and rolled as she hit the ground. Lying there in a heap she looked up to see the werewolf slamming itself against the invisible barrier of mountain ash. 

“Not bad.” Gerard was standing beside her. “Get up.” 

It was agony to stand up. The werewolf had slashed the back of her thighs and she almost collapsed from the pain. The blood was dripping down her legs. She wanted to spit in Gerard’s face again but couldn’t get enough saliva in her mouth to do so. He was watching her with hard, cold eyes. 

“What happened to my dad?” 

He smirked at her and held out a gun. Eyes wide she stared at it before backing up a couple of steps shaking her head. 

“I’ll tell you about your father after you have killed the monster.” 

“No.” 

He advanced on her and she stumbled as she tried to back away from him. “It’s the only way out of this. Kill it and I’ll have someone see to your injuries.” 

She felt tears sliding down her face. “No…” 

“It’s a monster, look at it, totally feral. It would have killed you. Kill it and you can leave.” 

Letting her body crumble to the ground she shook her head again. “No, I won’t, I won’t do it. Kill me but I won’t do it.” 

His boot caught her in the shoulder and she was thrown on her back. She blacked out a moment from the pain that erupted from her back. His face was cold and furious above her. “Fine.” He said, snapping out the words with rage. Walking back to the barn he put three bullets straight into the werewolf’s head. Coming back over to her, he roughly dragged her up and pulled her away. 

She was half dragged to a large SUV and thrown into the back. Thankful for the reprieve she laid there just trying to breathe. When they stopped moving she was pulled out and into another house. Once inside someone took her to a bathroom and bandaged up her injuries. The claw marks weren’t as bad as they felt, fairly shallow all things considered and her back was wrapped up. She was given sweatpants and a tshirt but nothing else to wear with them. 

Gerard seemed busy and after being ordered to stay put she was ignored. She took the opportunity to try and put some sort of order to the chaos and panic the last however many hours her life had been. It was hard to concentrate through all the pain her body was in. Now that the adrenaline had left her she felt every single bump, bruise and cut. Her throat ached, she had seen marks of fingers against it in the mirror. Her head was still swimming and woozy, probably a concussion. Through all this, the men around her just kept going. Focusing on not throwing up, she leaned over and let unconsciousness claim her again. 

A slamming car door woke her up. Sometime during the night she’d been transferred into the SUV again. Pushing herself up, she let out a pained whimper. Everything hurt. They were somewhere remote and in a forest. The car door opened again and she was pulled out of the vehicle. The air was cold and her bare feet kept getting caught on rocks and sticks as she could barely keep up with the unnamed hunter pulling her along. 

Once they were inside the cabin she was brought to a table that Gerard was already sitting at. The old man was cleaning a gun while his eyes tracked her progress through the room. Once she had sat down he gestured at the food and water on the table. “Eat, you must be starving.” 

Forcing herself to eat slowly she started eating the prepared sandwich and uncapped the water bottle. She was ignored again while Gerard started talking to the other men who had sat down with them. As her hunger abated she started paying attention to what they were saying. 

The largest hunter, a tall balding man who looked to be in his forties was currently speaking. “They are just too well protected. Hale has the whole pack wrapped up tight in those three houses and they are all in the middle of residential areas. Nothing to mask our entrance or exit.” 

Another, younger man with platinum blond hair, shook his head. “I keep telling you, after school is our best bet. Some of those kids have sports and stuff. We wait and we grab one then.” 

A third man scoffed. He had a jagged scar down his throat and he was glaring at all of them. “It’s suicide is what it is. We’d be better off waiting for a few years until they aren’t on guard anymore. Hale’s too clever and that magic kid is too powerful.” 

“Are you telling me you’re afraid of a teenager?” Gerard’s voice was cold and all three men flinched. 

Neck scar guy scowled and looked away. “I’m just saying that if you really want revenge but don’t want to die getting it then we have to wait.” 

Blondy sneered. “He is a coward. Ever since you let that were bitch claw you up you’ve been running scared from every job.” 

“Shut your fucking mouth Karl.” 

The bald one snorted. “This isn’t helpful. It’s not fear boss, it’s pragmatism. We need an in and your girl here doesn’t seem like she’s going to break soon enough.” 

Allison felt herself go cold and the food went to ash in her mouth. Swallowing the bite in her mouth, she stared woodenly at the table in front of her. Gerard’s voice when he spoke was life ice. “You leave Allison to me.” 

Silence fell for what seemed like an eternity. Not sure if she could stomach any more food, Allison focused on drinking the water. Eventually, Gerard spoke up again. “I do like the idea of grabbing someone at the school. Maybe one of the younger ones, all we need is one to set a trap then the rest will come running like the pack dogs they are.” 

It was baldy who spoke up first. “All right, we can work on that. A distraction might work best, put all the attention on the opposite side of town then go after the kid. One of them’s still in elementary school so he’d be easiest. Can’t handle the shift yet so easy to subdue and scare.” 

“Fuck yes, count me in. They’re always the most fun when they’re young like that. They still think crying will get them somewhere, so much fun to show them tears are worthless.” 

Finding herself trembling, Allison tucked her hands under the table. The rest of the conversation was mostly about potential logistics and she desperately tried to pay attention to the details. She had been the one responsible for Stiles being kidnapped. She would not let anything more happen to the Hales. 

After they had all finished eating she was locked in one of the back rooms. Knowing that she had at least two more days before they were going to put their plan into action she let herself go to sleep on the bed. She woke up desperate to use the bathroom and it took all of her will power to make herself bang on the door and ask to be let out. The blond hunter opened the door and smirked at her, giving her a long look before letting her out and into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her, heart thumping wildly in her chest. 

The next three days seemed to pass in slow motion. She was given water and food at seemingly random times then left alone in the room until she was desperate enough to ask to use the bathroom. The entire time none of the men or Gerard would speak to her other than for the times Gerard would make her repeat phrases and sayings over and over again. To get food she had to say that werewolves were monsters. To be allowed water she had to repeat the Argent family code ten times. Gerard took every interaction as an opportunity to make her say more things against werewolves or the Hale pack specifically. The rest of the time was spent completely isolated and alone. 

She stopped asking questions after the first time the blond one pushed her up against a wall and stroked down her body. Now when she tried to sleep she was waking up every few hours from nightmares. 

On the morning of the fourth day the door to her room was flung open with a bang and she was jolted awake by a hand wrenching her off the bed and onto the floor by the ankle. Letting out a scream, she twisted and kicked out. The assailant swore and dropped her leg. Scrambling to her feet she slammed an elbow into the hunter’s face. There was a satisfying crack as the blond hunter’s nose broke. Taking advantage of his hunched over form she slammed her knee into the man’s gut while bringing an elbow down on his back. Not giving herself time to process she ran out of the room and slammed the door shut and bolted it. 

There was a thump and enraged shout as the hunter slammed up against the other side of the door. Looking around frantically, she was shocked to not see anyone else around. Not giving herself time to stop and think about what had just almost happened she rushed into the main room of the cabin. No one was there either. Looking outside she took a ragged breath of relief when she saw that there were no vehicles present. 

The relief quickly turned into panic at the thought that they might be in Beacon Hills right now hurting someone. Forcing herself to focus through the panic she started frantically searching the bags in the cabin hoping to find a cell phone. She finally found what must be the blond’s phone on top of the kitchen counter. It was locked and emergency service calling must have been disabled because no matter how many times she pressed the button combination it wouldn’t call through. 

“Think, Allison, think.” She said to herself as she looked back around the cabin. There was no way of knowing how long they had been gone or how much longer they would be gone for. Her best hope was to leave as quickly as possible and to get as far away as she could. She went back through all the bags and nearly cried when she found her shoes and her jacket. Tucking food and water into one of the backpacks along with some flash bangs and a few flares she booked it out of the cabin. 

The driveway to the cabin was heavily wooded on both sides and made of hard packed dirt. She kept to the very edge of it and prayed to any deities that she would hear the vehicle before seeing it so she would have a chance to hide. Luck or the gods were with her and she reached a barren looking county road without encountering anyone. Not giving herself time to panic about which direction to go she picked one and started to jog down the road. The ditch wasn’t very deep so her plan was to dive down it and then into the woods if she heard any cars coming. 

By the time she had made it to another cross road her legs were burning. The claw wounds which had the beginnings of scar tissue forming had broken open from the exertion. She winced when she saw the growing blood stains on the sweatpants. The road signs gave her no clue where she was so it was another blind guess for direction. 

About twenty minutes into the next road she saw an older looking pickup truck approaching. Knowing that at some point she’d have to take the chance she stopped moving and held her arms in the air. It slowed as it approached and it was with a pounding heart that she limped over to the driver side door. The window was rolled down and she almost fainted with the relief at seeing a concerned looking grey haired woman. 

“Honey, you ok?” 

“No, no, I’m not at all ok. I need...please, can you tell me where I am?” 

“You’re right outside Douglas City in Beacon County. Your leg ok?” 

“Oh thank god. Do you have a phone? I need to call the sheriff, my -- there’s a man, he’s going after someone in Beacon Hills. They kidnapped me. Please tell me you have a phone.” 

The woman was looking more concerned by the moment and she was starting to open the door and get out. “All right, sweetie, I have a phone. Let’s get you sitting down before you fall over now.” 

“No, I’m ok, please let me make a call. I don’t know where they are. They could already have done it. Please.” Panic was rising up again at the idea the woman might not believe her or let her use the phone. She didn’t know if she could live with herself if anyone more happened to the Hales or Stiles because of her failure. 

The woman, however, produced the phone and handed it to her. With shaking hands, Allison unlocked it and quickly dialled 911. She just hoped that the operator would believe her. 

“911, what is your emergency.” 

“My name is Allison Argent and the Hales are in danger. Gerard Argent is in Beacon Hills and planning to try and kidnap one of the children. I don’t know which one and I don’t know where they are right now. They have a cabin outside of Douglas City. I just got away from them over an hour ago and someone stopped and I’m using their phone. But please tell the Sheriff.” 

“Ok, Allison, take a breath for me. There, good. I’m going to keep you on this line while I radio in to the Sheriff. Ok?” 

Feeling relief crash through her she gave a shaky affirmation. In less than a minute the sheriff was on the line with her and she repeated the information along with anything else she remembered about the men. By the time she had finished she was crying fully and the woman had an arm wrapped around her shoulder. The call ended with the woman promising to bring her into the hospital at Beacon Hills and that they were alerting everyone to look for Gerard. They also had deputies coming out to her location to try and find the cabin. 

The ride to the hospital was a bit of a blur. They had to pull over when they sheriff’s department cruisers got to them for Allison to show on a map how to get to the cabin. Once that was done it was a straight ride to the hospital. It wasn’t until she was climbing out of the car that she realized something. 

“I, uh, I’m sorry, I don’t know your name…” 

The woman smiled at and squeezed her hand. “It’s Joan, honey. Now, let’s get you settled, all right?” 

She nodded and let herself be brought inside and handed over to a nurse. Her last thought was oh god, I hope Melissa isn’t working before she was ushered back into an exam room.


	3. Chapter 3

It was several hours before all the tests, poking and prodding was finished. All they could do for the claw marks was bandage the wounds again. It was too late to use stitches so they would likely scar. Her back was just majorly bruised which she was thankful for. They did several scans of her head and didn’t find anything concerning. She had to stop the bitter laugh when they told her she was lucky. 

They set her up with an IV and left her alone after they were finished. Laying there, in the empty hospital room, she couldn’t stop the tears anymore. No one had been able to or willing to tell her anything about her dad. There had been nothing new about Gerard and his men either. She had begged them to get an update but everyone had kept saying that there was no way for them to know anything. She tried to distract herself with the TV but her thoughts kept going back to her worry over what was happening outside the hospital. 

It was late when a knock on her door startled her out of the light doze she had fallen into. Looking up she was instantly awake. “Sheriff! Hi, is everyone ok? Did you get him?” 

Noah Stilinski came in and gave her a small smile before placing a soothing hand on her arm. “Everyone is fine, thanks to you. We got two of them right outside Austen’s school. Gerard was caught outside of town and the one you left in the cabin was still there when the deputies arrived.” 

It wasn’t until the sheriff’s arms were holding her in a tight embrace that she realized she was sobbing with relief. A distant part of herself said she should be embarrassed by this but the part was craving the comfort of a hug won out. When the sobs had quieted, the sheriff pulled back and smiled at her. 

“Allison, if it wasn’t for you the explosion Gerard had planned would have killed over a dozen people and it is most likely they would have succeeded in capturing Austen. You are an incredibly brave young woman and thank you for fighting like you did.” 

She shook her head. “I’m not brave. I didn’t...I failed Stiles...I couldn’t fail again. I’m so sorry. I don’t deserve any praise. I’m so sorry.” 

He pulled her back into a hug and rubbed a soothing hand down her back. “Oh Allison, what happened to Stiles wasn’t your fault. Yes, you made a mistake but we all made mistakes with that situation. You never meant for him to be hurt and you pulled through for us here when you needed to.” 

She pulled reluctantly away from the hug again. “Do you...my dad, do you know?” 

“Your father is alive.” The wording startled her and she flinched back a little. He grimaced and continued. “He was found in the rental home with a bullet wound to the gut. The EMTs got him to the hospital but he is currently recovering in FBI custody. He admitted that he had been in contact with Gerard but was afraid that Gerard would hurt you if he said anything. Your abduction does give credence to that claim and it’s likely he will only face minimal charges. Tomorrow there will be someone from the FBI up here to take your full statement of everything that happened.” 

“Gerard...he told me that if I didn’t lure either Cora or Scott to him he was going to kill my dad.”

“I know. He told us that. He said you were a better person than he was for standing up to Gerard.” 

Tears started filling up her eyes again and she angrily wiped them away. “I don’t understand how he could have helped Gerard at all.” 

“Family is a strong pull, especially when you have been trained from birth to obey without question. It doesn’t excuse anything but I personally think it’s amazing your father was able to break away enough to raise you as well as he did.” 

She gave him a weak smile and hunched over a bit, playing with a loose thread on the hospital gown. “So, um, I don’t know what I do now.” 

“Ah, well for the moment, unless you object I’m here to take you home with me. Specially, you’ll stay with Melissa as she has an empty room.” 

“But don’t they all hate me?” 

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, Allison, they don’t hate you. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have reached hero status for your escape from the evil hunters. Austen was waxing very poetic about it on the drive home after I gave them all a summary of what happened.” 

“Oh. I don’t…” She trailed off, not sure what to say. She didn’t feel like a hero. But she also didn’t want to stay in the hospital and the idea of being somewhere safe for the night was too appealing to give up. The closer they got to the house, the more nervous she felt. At least the sheriff had brought her some clothes from Cora that fit her all right so at least she wasn’t showing up in her hospital gown. 

Allison was shaking by the time the sheriff pulled up into the driveway. It didn’t register that he was reaching out a hand towards her until his fingers brushed her arm. She flinched sideways and into the door before her brain could realize it was just the Sheriff. Seeing his concerned expression she winced and stared at the floor. “Sorry, I’m...sorry.” 

“No, don’t be sorry. I shouldn’t have reached for you like that. Are you ok with being here? There are a couple of my deputies that are certified for emergency foster housing.” 

Seeing the compassion and concern on his face was overwhelming after the months of feeling so alone. She shook her head. “No I -- it’s ok. I just...they should hate me and I can’t face that. I don’t know how to face this. I’m sorry I’m so weak. I’ve been trying to be strong this whole time. My dad kept saying I had to be strong but I don’t...I just don’t want them to hate me.” 

The passenger door opened which made her flinch again. Looking over she felt like all the blood left her body as Peter Hale crouched down to be able to be eye level with her. “Peter…” The sheriff said, growling out the word on her other side but the wolf ignored his husband. 

“Allison, you have gone through something horrible the past many months. You have nothing to be sorry for. I am amazed at the strength you have shown in staying strong to your beliefs. Your father told us what Gerard asked you to do and that you refused even believing you would die. That…” Peter broke off, she was amazed to see his eyes glisten with tears. He reached out slowly and took her hand in his. “You are an amazing woman and I promise you that nobody here hates you.” 

Letting out a broken sob she half jumped, half fell into Peter’s arms. The wolf pulled her up and out of the car, hugging her to him tightly. It was all the comfort and acceptance that she had been longing for ever since she had found out about her family’s deception. Eventually Peter maneuvered her into the house where she was practically tackled by Cora then Scott. The two beta wolves bundled her over to the couch and wrapped her firmly between the two of them. 

The rest of the day passed in a blur of comfort and food. Every pack member seemed to want to hug or touch her throughout the day. Well, every pack member except Stiles. His absence became more noticeable as the day went on and it made the rest of the acceptance she was being given feel a little hollow. He finally appeared during dinner and panic hit her so unexpectedly that all the wolves in the house turned as one to look at her with concern. Then they swept back to all glare at Stiles. 

“What?” Stiles looked confused and then Cora let out a low growl which made him glare down the table. “Ok, what the fuck?” 

“Language.” The sheriff said mildly. 

Stiles rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air. “Then someone tell me why everyone is looking at me like I killed kittens all day.” 

“You scared Allison.” Cora said, still growling slightly. 

Stiles stared at Cora then Allison blankly. “What? Why?” 

Now all eyes turned to Allison again and feeling overwhelmed she just stared at the table. Cora snarled then and moved to get up from her seat. 

“Cora.” Peter said sharply. “There are many reasons Allison would have right now to feel nervous. Just because Stiles’ presence triggered something does not automatically mean it was done intentionally on his part or his fault at all. Sit back down.” 

“I’m sorry.” She said, blurting out of the words. “I’m sorry, I didn’t -- just sorry. It’s not his fault. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.” 

“What could possibly be your fault?!” Cora said with a half shout. 

Allison winced and had the strong desire to flee the table. She really didn’t want to have to do this in front of everyone but she also couldn’t let anyone keep blaming Stiles. It was his right to avoid her, she couldn’t expect him just to welcome her with open arms because she had been through trauma. Taking a deep breath she looked back up and met Stiles’ eyes. 

“I’m sorry about Kate. I shouldn’t have left you there. I know I made a terrible mistake. You don’t have to forgive me but I just wanted you to know that I know what I did was wrong and I should have trusted you.” 

Stiles made a startled noise and rubbed his hands over his face and head. “Oh. Oh...yeah….shit. I don’t -- shit...I don’t really blame you for that. Not really. It was Kate and honestly I don’t think you would have stopped her even if you had stayed and also she was your aunt and your family, of course you’d believe them over me who had, admittedly, been kind of shitty to you. So, uh, please don’t let me make you nervous, I also think you are like a super BAMF for escaping Gerard and getting somewhere to warn us. Like, dude, seriously, awesome.” 

She felt relief rush through her. “Thank you.” Not trusting herself to say anything more without crying again, she focused on finishing her food. Cora seemed to settle down next to her which was a relief. The last thing she wanted was for her presence to cause issues in the family. Stiles awkwardly hovered by Derek for a minute before wedging a place for himself at the other end of the table from her. He started a low conversation with Peter that she couldn’t hear so she forced herself to pay attention back to Austen who was telling her all about the thrilling day of being escorted out of school by the police. To her relief it seemed like the eight year old had no real idea of the danger he had been in. 

After dinner she was shuffled over to the house next to the Stilinski’s where she discovered the McCalls had bought and moved into a couple of months ago. Apparently Peter had gotten too paranoid having Melissa and Scott on the other side of town from the pack and had facilitated the move. 

“So the people living here just decided to move?” She asked Scott as the two of them and Cora curled up on the couch together. 

Scott rolled his eyes while Cora giggled. “Noooo...not exactly….more like Peter paid them a whole bunch of money to leave and but then made them sell it to my mom for less than it was worth. I think my mom knows but it’s one of those things as long as no one says it outloud then it’s not true sort of thing.” 

“Wow. He uh, really takes this pack thing seriously.” 

Cora sat up and looked a little offended. “Of course he does. Pack for us is even more close than family. It’s like losing a limb if someone dies and...well...we’ve lost a lot of people.” 

Allison winced. “I’m sorry, that was tactless of me to say.” 

“No, no.” Cora shook her head and snuggled back into Allison. “Don’t be sorry. You just don’t know. You’ve been told all these wrong things about us but none of the good stuff. Don’t worry though, you’re pack now so we’ll teach you.” 

“What?” She felt a bit like the world had tilted underneath her for the third time in a week. “I’m pack? But how? I’m human and an Argent.” 

Cora growled into her stomach and hugged her tighter. “And Laura worked with Kate to set our house on fire and killed Malia. Mom tried to kill Stiles. We’re all still pack. You can be pack too.” 

“Oh…” There was really nothing else to say to that so she huddled down to cuddle Cora back. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks again but this time she slowly felt the weight of months begin to lift. This was so much more than she ever could have hoped for. It felt almost too good to be real but the solid weight of Scott and Cora against her reminded her that it was real. They had accepted her for herself and the weight of that acceptance made her dizzy with the implications of it. She pushed all of that aside and decided to just enjoy this moment right here. There were still a lot of things to figure out and a lot of hard things to process but she had a pack now to help her with it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is it for now. I have an idea for a follow up story from Chris' perspective which will hopefully tie up the rest of these plot threads. I decided to keep Gerard alive for now because it felt too anticlimactic to have him die off screen. He's also just such a good villain so I might want him for a later, longer story in this 'verse.


End file.
